Results 1,781-1,800 of 2,476 for speaker:Malcolm Byrne

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Future Funding of Higher Education: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Mar 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I agree.

Seanad: Humanitarian Support for Ukrainian Refugees: Statements (23 Mar 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank the Minister for coming here to take this issue. He is, on a personal level, deeply invested in addressing the questions of direct provision. This is not an either-or matter. He has shown that he is deeply committed to resolving this problem and that there is a compassionate response to an appalling human tragedy. I am extremely proud of the approach that the Taoiseach and the...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Broadcasting Authority of Ireland: Discussion with Chairperson-Designate (23 Mar 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I congratulate Ms Curtis and Ms Craig on their recent appointments. It would be appropriate for this committee to write to formally thank Pauric Travers and Michael O'Keeffe for their work and public service. I wish to take up the staffing point. Perhaps it is about the numbers and scale of staff. Will the witnesses outline to us what are the current number of staff with the BAI? Given...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Broadcasting Authority of Ireland: Discussion with Chairperson-Designate (23 Mar 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: The BAI staffing is currently at 36. When the committee was considering pre-legislative scrutiny of this legislation and speaking with the Department, it was indicated to the committee that the commission would need to grow to at least the level of the Data Protection Commission, DPC, at present, which is about 180 full-time equivalents. We are certainly looking at least at that size, and...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Broadcasting Authority of Ireland: Discussion with Chairperson-Designate (23 Mar 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I appreciate that but Ms Craig will understand our concerns. The commission will have the potential to be one of the most powerful regulators in the State, given the scale of what is involved in regulating the social media companies. The commission will need teeth, and that is the concern of this committee. As Deputy Mythen has said, this will require highly qualified staff and also...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Broadcasting Authority of Ireland: Discussion with Chairperson-Designate (23 Mar 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: An area of particular interest to members is political advertising, including online. We are establishing an electoral commission and this will be crucial. The BAI has extensive experience of regulating political activity in the traditional broadcast media. What is its vision for that? For instance, I cannot take out a radio advertisement on my local radio station, yet I can flood social...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Broadcasting Authority of Ireland: Discussion with Chairperson-Designate (23 Mar 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I wish to focus on where we are going regarding the regulation of some of the social media companies. In a sense, I have great admiration for the challenge being taken on, but I am not sure if its scale has been fully realised in respect of the convergence of new technologies and the regulation of social media companies in that context. Moving on the matter of the metaverse and augmented...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Broadcasting Authority of Ireland: Discussion with Chairperson-Designate (23 Mar 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I agree. It is a challenge for us as legislators to deal with this issue as well, given the convergence of new technologies, and to explore how we can ensure our people are safe in this space. Will the relevant powers in this context be devolved to the new media commission and will it be taking on this responsibility? I do not say this lightly, but the media commission will be one of the...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Broadcasting Authority of Ireland: Discussion with Chairperson-Designate (23 Mar 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I agree. That approach would be very welcome. It comes back very quickly to my earlier question and the response has been around political balance outside of election time. The BAI has had a significant role but in a diverse media that is going to be increasingly challenging. All of us as politicians would have criticisms. I would frequently be critical of RTÉ's current affairs...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Diplomatic Representation (22 Mar 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, for taking this issue on behalf of the Department of Foreign Affairs. I am conscious she is busy today taking a lot of issues for other Departments. I have enormous respect for all officials within the Department of Foreign Affairs for the work they do and our ambassadors. My question is about how we appoint our ambassadors. At present, the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Diplomatic Representation (22 Mar 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank the Minister of State. I certainly would encourage anyone to serve in a public service capacity. I note that the reply from the Department of Foreign Affairs avoids the question I asked. It does, however, make a very clear point in stating that when the Minister is considering an appointment, he will look at applicants' "management experience, regional knowledge, country knowledge...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Mar 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: Deputy Leader, this afternoon, after 11 days, a boil-water notice was lifted for Wexford town and parts of the surrounding area. So for 11 days, including over the St. Patrick's holiday weekend, the people in and around Wexford town were not guaranteed to have clean water and a reliable supply. Other parts of the country have experienced the same problem and last year my home town of Gorey...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Future Funding of Higher Education: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Mar 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank all of the witnesses for their useful testimony. Dare I say it but the question of higher education funding is the modern political equivalent of draining the Shannon. It is something that everyone thinks might be a good idea and it is kicked to touch and pushed down the road. It is perhaps reflected in the fact that there is not big turnout among Oireachtas Members at this...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Future Funding of Higher Education: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Mar 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: Let me throw out a further question for which I ask for a quick one-or-other answer. The Minister for Finance might say he has very limited resources. If they had to make a choice between the abolition of fees and significantly reforming and increasing the money available under the SUSI grant system, what would our witnesses do? I ask each of them to respond in ten or 15 seconds.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Future Funding of Higher Education: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Mar 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I agree with Ms Horan on core funding to provide existing services. One of the big challenges we will increasingly face is that because of the rapid pace of technological change, we will all be required to upskill and reskill. Programmes such as Springboard have been effective - and there have been some moves - but in terms of the scale of what we will need to do and the amount of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Future Funding of Higher Education: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Mar 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: When does Mr. Horgan think the breaking point will happen?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Future Funding of Higher Education: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Mar 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: It is about us shaping the future rather than predicting it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Future Funding of Higher Education: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Mar 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I would like to echo Professor Rogers's point that we tend to think of students as being in a particular age cohort so I should take out my student card and point out that I am one of those impacted. It comes to questions about participation rates and Deputy Conway-Walsh’s question about what makes Ireland different. We should be proud that we have one of the highest participation...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Future Funding of Higher Education: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Mar 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: The complexity of the debate around participation is important. It is about allowing those pathways from further education into higher education and in the reverse as well. My worry is that there is a simplistic view around the debate that we would abolish the €3,000 fees and that will dramatically increase access. It has to be around ensuring that pathways and access programmes are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Future Funding of Higher Education: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Mar 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I would love both but it is about priorities.